1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to environmentally compatible footwear. More particularly, this invention relates to footwear designed to alter noise made by walking.
2. Previous Art
Hunters, photographers and nature enthusiasts often enjoy observing wildlife such as deer, wolves, birds and other animals. At close distances, observing wildlife can bring an observer great pleasure. To the trained observer, the subtle movements made by wildlife in a natural habitat can reveal artistic grace and beauty. A deer grazing in a clearing, a wolf wandering, and a bird feeding its young often provide the observer with artistic impression not found in a photograph, for example.
Nature observers, hunters and naturalists face challenges. Typically, walking and hiking makes noise which frightens wildlife. Deer for example, are believed to distinguish predators from non-predators by the noises made during movement. When a hiker's foot contacts the earth, the surface of the ground can shift, leaves can rustle and twigs can snap. This makes noise which alerts the deer to the presence of a human. The alerted deer will typically run to avoid potential danger.
Noise made by humans is distinguishable from noise made by other creatures. For example, a hopping rodent makes a brisk noise of short duration with each hop. A hoofed animal such as a deer steps cautiously and makes a quieter noise having a relatively longer duration. A human can make a crunching noise with each footstep because the surface area of a human foot is relatively larger than the surface area of the feet of many wild creatures.
The ground includes a broad range of material including soil. Soil is a mixture of organic and inorganic materials. The soil may also include a surface layer of organic material such as leaves, branches, twigs, small plants and brush. Inorganic material can include rocks, stones, sand, dirt and mud. For the purposes herein, the term "ground" is to be broadly understood to include various soils having surface layers and both organic and inorganic materials. The ground can be located anywhere including a wooded area, a rain forest, desert, mountainside or even a lunar-like surface. The make-up of the ground may vary depending upon composition and moisture content. Hard rock, compacted gravel, and gravel may be able to support hundreds of pounds of bearing force per square inch, whereas softer soils may only be able to support a few pounds per square inch.
Hiking in wooded areas (e.g. a hardwood forest) is particularly noisy because the soil has a covering of leaves, small twigs, pieces of bark, and branches. Leaves fall randomly to the forest floor, forming a loose mesh. If one were to walk over this mesh bare foot, or with normal shoes or boots, the mesh would be crushed between the foot and the floor, resulting in significant noise from the crushing of leaves and the cracking of branches and twigs.
Modifying the contact surface of the human foot alters noise produced by movement over the ground. For example, walking on the ball of the foot and the toes (i.e. tiptoe) alters the noise made by walking. Walking on tiptoe is believed to be a quieter method of travel than normal walking. Walking on tiptoe, however, is uncomfortable for walking for extended periods and over long distances.
Hunters and photographers, in particular, are challenged to disguise their presence in order to avoid frightening wildlife to be observed. A photographer's presence can be disguised by reducing the amount of noise made, and by altering noise made. Some disguise their presence by remaining stationary and silent. Silence is nearly achieved through the use of stationary stands such as tree stands. In this way, extensive hiking is avoided and noise is minimized. Unfortunately, game and other wildlife are not always visible from a tree stand. A person can make noise and be heard while approaching a stationary stand. What is desired is a better way of disguising the presence of a person.
Nature enthusiasts do not always rely on stationary stands. Many simply hike through the wilderness and look for wildlife. Because hiking makes noise which scares deer, wolves, wildcats and the like, these creatures often retreat prior to being observed by a hiker. What is desired is a way of moving through the wilderness without scaring wildlife to facilitate observation of the wildlife.